Best Size for Limited Time

[PugsAndFish]

My desired upgrade to a 120G mixed reef display and a 60G frag tank plumbed to a single sump is not happening anytime soon. I am starting dental school soon so my time will be limited. The school requires me to take courses with med students in addition to my dental classes so I'll be bogged down in books. What is the best size for someone with limited time? I have a 40G cube with a sump at the moment. It's not hard to maintain but I hate the footprint.

I'm thinking of a 40B with a sump. I also want a frag tank that is about 30G and 12 inches tall to drain into the same sump. I may be overdoing it with the frag system. I may just do a frag system alone and no display and just collect pieces I like. Or maybe I should just stick with a 40G display. I don't know....

What do you think is the best size in my case? I want to go big but don't want to increase work. I don't want to go small either haha. 40Breeder seems to be a good compromise but looking for other viewpoints.

 

[Peace River]

Congratulations on your academic successes! When I first saw the thread title before I even read your post I was already thinking 40B. It gives you a lot of capability with a lot of flexibility both now and in the future.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Stick with what you have. Too many variables starting a new tank ....

 

[PugsAndFish]

Stick with what you have. Too many variables starting a new tank ....

Well I will have to move like 6 hours away so I'm planning to restart entirely after selling off my livestock

 

[Jon Fishman]

Well I will have to move like 6 hours away so I'm planning to restart entirely after selling off my livestock

I don’t know the intricacies of the dental field, or if ortho or protho etc are in your plans, but if it’s anything like Medicine, you will be moving a lot for residencies or fellowships etc. I would consider either putting it on hold indefinitely, or downsizing even further.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Honestly I would wait. Make school your priority now and you can keep the tank you want when you are settled and established.

I know, fathers are no fun!

 

[Jon Fishman]

I know, fathers are no fun!

Echoing my kids’ sentiment quite well here.....

 

[PugsAndFish]

Unlike medicine, dentistry is more forgiving for residencies A residency isn't even required (depending on the situation). My plan is not to spend a ton of money on a fancy system but just DIY to save some cost. A 40B should run me maybe $100 right now since I have some equipment. If I need to move, I'll be down $100 so that isn't too bad.

Anyways, I agree I should focus on school but this is my stress reliever rather than exercise or meditation or whatever it may be. Doesn't help that a local vendor with a great shop is like 15 mins from the school!

I'll shut it down and see if the bug comes back. If that does come back, I'll just get back with a 40B (seems to make most sense right now)

 

[Halal Hotdog]

My desired upgrade to a 120G mixed reef display and a 60G frag tank plumbed to a single sump is not happening anytime soon. I am starting dental school soon so my time will be limited. The school requires me to take courses with med students in addition to my dental classes so I'll be bogged down in books. What is the best size for someone with limited time? I have a 40G cube with a sump at the moment. It's not hard to maintain but I hate the footprint.

I'm thinking of a 40B with a sump. I also want a frag tank that is about 30G and 12 inches tall to drain into the same sump. I may be overdoing it with the frag system. I may just do a frag system alone and no display and just collect pieces I like. Or maybe I should just stick with a 40G display. I don't know....

What do you think is the best size in my case? I want to go big but don't want to increase work. I don't want to go small either haha. 40Breeder seems to be a good compromise but looking for other viewpoints.

While I was in dental school I ran a JBJ 28 gallon AIO. I designed it to be very low maintenance. Had a bunch of soft corals, BTA, and a pair of clowns. Very enjoyable and took up no time. Best thing I can recommend is invest in automation, there will be days where you won't even be able to look at the tank, especially when boards season start.